Digimon Guardian
by The Kishin Sesshomaru-Kurai
Summary: Arius was the original owner of a Black D3. Bbut he refused its darkness and now fights against the Emperor. When Davis and the others appear, he wants to work with them to a certain extent. Can the Digidestined open him up and stop the Emperor? T for language and content.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Before we start this off, let me address an issue that I'm sure many will want to complain about: the names of my Digimon. Yes, many of the names for my Digimon OCs probably exist, so I decided to give a preemptive rebuttal. Whatever, I do what I want! This is mah house! These are mah rules! Besides, it's not the first time the names and Digimon have been screwed up. Look at Fusion. Their Greymon is not a Greymon. Its a grey dinosaur. **

**Anywhoozle, ON VITH ZE STORY!**

**-Ze Awesome Prussia**

The trees were flying past the black haired teen. Behind him, the small group of the remaining uncollared Digimon in the area followed him. His purple sweatshirt was remarkably in tact, the arms and stomach still decorated with black tendrils. Dirt stained his black boots and the hems of his black jeans. In the distance behind them, a tall black obelisk stood against the sky. "Dammit!" shouted the teen as he and the group ran. "Tentomon," he called over his shoulder, "when did the Emperor get that Control Spire here?"

"I don't know!" buzzed the insect. "We woke up and it was just there, in the middle of the forest!"

"Yeah," said Patamon as he flew along behind them. "That's about when those Dark Rings started hunting us."

Gatomon ran faster. "Speaking of Dark Rings, we've got some on our tails!" Looking over his shoulder, he saw four rings following them.

"Shit!" cursed the boy. Before he could do anything, a burst of black energy ripped through the pursuing objects.

Another Digimon came running out of the brush. He resembled a small version of Devimon without the helmet. In place of the regular arms, he had a pair of skeleton arms with black bands at the joints to hold them together. "Arius!" called the Digimon. "I finished escorting the other refugees to safety," he said as he ran up to his partner.

"Good job, Noctomon," said the running teen. "You really saved our necks there." Their happiness was short lived when they heard an angry roar followed by two screams.

Turning, he saw Gatomon was stuck under the hoof of a controlled Unimon and Agumon was trying to help her up. Cursing again, Arius ran over and picked the two up, not really noticing that Gatomon had lost her tail ring. As they ran, he was dimly aware of Agumon calling out for his Digidestined. "Sorry, Agumon. Your partner isn't here right now. We've gotta keep going!"

Looking to his Digimon partner, he held up his black Digivice. "Noctomon, you need to go Armor, now!" He got an affirmative nod from his partner. Looking down, he pressed the buttons on his Digivice and cycled through the crest symbols on the small screen until he came to a black heart-like shape. "Let's do it!" Holding out the device, a rosy glow came from the screen as Noctomon was shrouded in wind. "Digi-Armor: Energize!"

The wind spun around the demon as a quick glow enveloped him. "Noctomon Armor Digivolve to: Falcomon, the Soaring Hatred!" His new form was a large eagle-like Digimon in armor. His body was black with his armor being silver. His head had a helmet that covered the top of his head, and left the sinisterly curved beak exposed. The top of it was adorned with a black version of the Crest of Love. His wings had five blades on each side instead of feathers, with the colors alternating between magenta and silver with magenta being first, third, and last. Its tail was four Magenta and black feathers. The chest area was adorned with a silver breastplate that didn't cover the back. The Armor Digimon was a couple feet taller than Arius and fully capable of carrying him.

Slowing down, Arius set Agumon and Gatomon on the ground. "I want you all to run to safety. I'll find you when Unimon is taken care of." Hopping onto his now Digivolved partner, the two took flight, Unimon in pursuit.

"Alright bud, let's show him what we've got."

"Right!" Flying higher, they turned around and headed towards the charging mantis. Falcomon launched a magenta aura when he pulled up from his charge. "Valkyrie Aura!" The energy attack hit Unimon back when it struck. Flying up again, he flapped his wings. "Feather Arrow!" A series of arrows made of light flew from his feathers and struck Unimon. One of which scored a direct hit on the Dark Ring, and shattered the object.

Shaking his head, the Unimon flew off as the duo flew down towards the ground. After a quick flash of light, Noctomon and Arius landed on the ground. Dusting themselves off, Arius and Noctomon started back the way they came. After a minute of walking, the Digimon looked up at his teenaged human partner. "Hey Arius, why did you choose Falcomon's Digi-egg? Are you insinuating something about me and Biyomon?"

The boy let out a low whistle. "Wow, 'insinuating'. A five syllable word, that's a new one. I'm impressed," commented the black haired teen.

"Don't avoid the question!" shouted the Digimon.

"Why does it matter?" asked Arius. "I thought you were liked her? Why's it matter if I chose the Digi-egg that is best suited for aerial combat, and it just so happens to be the dark version of Biyomon's crest?" Feeling something off, he pulled out his black Digivice and started looking through the different scans.

"Because," ranted Noctomon, "you know full well that I have four other forms that can fly just as well as-"

He was cut off by a raised hand and Arius shushing him. "Quiet, my Digivice is acting up." Curious, Noctomon climbed up on his friend's shoulder. As the two looked at the screen a cluster of dots blinked towards the upper left corner. An orange one, light pink, green, and light blue. There was also a weird red dot in the mix. "From the looks of this," said Arius, "there are four other Digidestined, and I have no idea as to what that large red dot is."

Sliding the small device into his jeans pocket, Arius took off, his partner hanging on for dear life with his arms around his neck. "Arius! Where are we going?" cried the small rookie. _It feels like my arms are getting more dislocated than usual._

"We need to see if these Digidestined are friendly," explained the High Schooler as he ducked around branches. "If not, we need to make sure they don't get their hands on that weird anomaly."

Following the screen's beacons, the duo came to a cave in the side of a mountain. Setting down his Digimon, the teen gave a signal to keep quiet. Walking into the cave, the two snuck along until they came to an opening to a large cavern where the two heard Gatomon talking about the Digimon Emperor. Half of the other voices were the Digimon he'd helped save. The other half were unrecognizable, except for one. _No, it can't be._ Taking a quick look around the corner, he confirmed his suspicions on the owner of the voice.

Looking down, he nudged Noctomon and leaned down to his friend. "Who's that blue Digimon?" whispered Arius.

"His name is Veemon, I've heard stories about him, but I thought he was a legend."

"Who's over there?" called a girl's voice. "We know you're over there, so come on out."

Sharing a look, the duo walked out from around their hiding place. Arius strode out with a confident smirk. "Hey Tai, fancy seeing you here."

The brown-haired boy was shocked. "Arius? You're a Digidestined?"

The boy's smirk grew into a grin. "As are you, I see. And this," he held up his black Digivice, "is all the proof I need to confirm my identity."

The brown haired girl gasped. "A black Digivice? That means you're that Digimon Emperor we've been hearing about!" Her appearance got Arius' attention. _Why does she vaguely look like Tai?_

Tai and the blonde boy were in front of the group of Digimon in a heartbeat. "You'd better stay away from our friends, you hear me?" shouted the hat wearing blonde. _Why does he look like Matt? Wait, haven't I seen him before? Yeah, I have, that's TK, Matt's little brother._ He looked over to the girl who was guarding the Digimon. _Which means she's Kari, Tai's little sister._

Before he could comment, Gatomon and Patamon ran in front of him. "Wait!" shouted the cat. "He's not the Emperor! Arius has been protecting us from the beginning! He has nothing to do with the Emperor," explained Gatomon.

The boy Arius didn't know ran forward. Arius made a mental note about the kid resembling Tai. "Wait, then why did you assume I worked for the Emperor!" he shouted at the female Digimon.

"Because, kid," snapped Arius, "she knows that I work alone and have no human allies." _Seriously!_ thought the teen. _Who is this kid!?_

The boy was about to respond when the cave started shaking. "Ahh! Veemon, what's happening?"

"I don't know Davis!" shouted the small blue Digimon.

Nodding with Tai, Arius took charge. "Everybody, follow me!" he called. "We need to get out of here!" As he followed the group, he noticed a small red and orange object in Davis's hands. _Is that...a Digi-Egg?_ He didn't have long to think about the object, because once they got outside, they found themselves being attacked by a ring-controlled Monochromon. Roaring, he charged forward and made the group scatter.

Kari was scared. "Why's Monochromon attacking us? He's usually such a peaceful Digimon."

"It's that ring around his waist!" shouted Arius. "The Emperor uses them to control the Digimon. If we can get rid of it, he'll go back to normal!"

Veemon looked up at Davis. "Davis. You need to open the Digi-egg! That way I can show that guy who's boss."

The boy was confused. "What? How do I do that?" He searched the small object over frantically trying to find a way to open it. It was pitiful for the older boy to watch.

"Hey kid," he called over to Davis. "Say, 'Digi-Armor: Energize'. It'll activate the Digi-egg and make Veemon Digivolve!"

Not knowing what else he could do, Davis took the older teen's advice. "Digi-Armor: Energize!"

The Digi-Egg and blue Digimon became wrapped in orange light while Veemon covered in flames. "Veemon, Armor Digivolve to: Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage!" The sight of Armor Digivolving was a familiar sight to Arius and Noctomon, but the others were all amazed at the sight of the Digimon.

Setting himself, Flamedramon charged Monochromon head on. "Fire Fist!" As he swung a punch, his hand became shrouded in fire, but did very little when it collided with the controlled Digimon's armored head.

Noctomon sighed at this. "Amateur," he muttered. He looked at his human partner. "Hey Arius, how about we show them what we're made of?"

The black haired teen smirked while he nodded. Cycling through the crests on screen, he settled for a black sun. "Alright. Digi-Armor: Energize!" shouted the Digidestined as an orange light shined from his Digivice.

The small demon Digimon was wrapped in flames as he changed. "Noctomon, Armor Digivolve to: Dragomon, the Hellfire of Terror!" The new Digimon was a foot taller than the teen and stood on two legs. His body was black and his armor was red and orange. The helmet was like Falcomon's in appearance, only without a crest and in red. The chest plate was red with a black version of the Crest of Courage. His tail was covered in overlapping silver and red blades and the wings were similarly armored. Each foot had plating that allowed freedom of the toes and his hands had similar armor only with sinister talons om each.

The dragon Digimon roared as Arius stood behind him. "Let's do this!" Flapping, he took off to help Flamedramon. Diving down, he blasted a ball of fire to distract Monochromon. "Dragon Flare Burst!" The rhino-like Digimon roared at him. "Now Flamedramon! Take the shot!"

"Right." The fire lizard ran forward. "Fire Rocket!" A blast of fire flew from his hand and smashed the Dark Ring into data.

Davis ran to his partner. "Woah, Flamedramon. That was so cool!"

A yellow flash covered Flamedramon as he turned back into Veemon. "You bet, Davis! And you and I are partners, so we get to do that all the time!"

As they all started talking, Arius and Noctomon started walking off. "Arius," called Tai.

Arius turned to his classmate. "Yes, Tai? What is it?"

Tai fixed the black haired boy with a serious look. "You have a black Digivice, and know quite a lot about that weird Digi-egg. Just who are you, and how long have you been doing this?"

Arius gave the goggle-wearing boy a sad smile. "I'm a Digidestined, just like you. And I've been doing this for far too long." Turning, he and Noctomon walked off before Tai could ask any questions. After the two had been walking for several minutes, they came to a small television sitting on the ground.

The rookie-level Digimon looked up at his partner. "Arius, are you alright?" His concern for his partner was clearly etched on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine Noctomon." He smiled at his friend, although it was strained. "C'mon, let's go." Holding up his Digivice, a glow came from both the TV and Digivice. "Digi-Port: Open!" The two felt the familiar rush as they were sent from the Digital World to the Real World. As the rush ended, the two landed on his bed as they were launched from his computer. Sitting up, Arius looked at his now in-training friend.

His partner, now a DemiDevimon, looked up with a huge grin on his large face as his wings furled up at his side. "So, snack time?" His eyes glinted as his in-training appetite took over.

Arius laughed at the small Fallen Digimon's mood change. "Sure, let's go grab some food. I could go for a little snack." Getting off the bed, he slid off his green uniform jacket as he and his bat Digimon walked out of the room into the empty apartment. _Seriously, the only benefit to having absentee parents is being able to do whatever you want._

Getting to the kitchen, he put a bag of popcorn in the microwave for DemiDevimon while he started slicing up an apple. When the timer went off, he poured the bag into a bowl and set it in front of his drooling friend. "Dig in, buddy."

Cheering, the small Digimon shoved his face into the bowl and started devouring his snack. Chuckling, Arius sat down to eat his apple slices and peanut butter. As he finished, he heard his computer go off. Confused, he walked back to his room and saw he had an email. "Huh? Why did Tai email me?" asked the boy.

DemiDevimon flew up next to him. "An even better question would be how he got your email address."

Nodding in agreement, Arius opened the message from his Digidestined classmate. _Arius,_ it read. _Me and the other Digidestineds are meeting at the park tonight at 8 o'clock. We have a lot of questions for you._

The teen leaned back in his chair after reading the message. Feeling Arius' mood, DemiDevimon flew into his lap and let the teen pet him. "Well DemiDevimon, I guess you and I owe Tai some answers." Reaching under the neckline of his shirt, Arius pulled out two of his three necklaces, both with a similar design. The first was his crest in its case, the background being a light red with the symbol being a dark red yin-yang symbol without the dots or being filled on one side. The second was a pendant of the crest symbol by itself with a simple black cord tying it around his neck. "We're finally going to meet other Digidestined.

-That night-

Arius walked through the streets on his way to the park, DemiDevimon in his arms. He opted for a pair of jeans and a camouflage sweatshirt with his crest on full display. Soon enough, they arrived to find Tai talking to several of his classmates, as well as Kari, T.K., and their friend Joe. When he arrived, Tai was talking about the Digi-egg. "Even with the crest of Courage, I couldn't even lift it."

"Well of course not," said Arius, "the Digi-egg of Courage is a lot different from your crest." The others all looked at the new arrival.

"Hey," said Izzy. "Is that a Digi-crest?" The others followed his gaze to the red object around his neck.

DemiDevimon huffed in annoyance. "Sure, pay attention to the Crest but not to the adorable Fallen-Angel Digimon. Yeah, I see how it is."

Kari gasped. "You have a DemiDevimon as an in-training Digimon?" _How can he have Fallen Digimon and not be the Digimon Emperor?_

"Yup," he nodded. "But he wasn't always my partner." He sighed in sadness.

"What do you mean?" asked Matt.

Arius sighed again. "It was about three years ago, after your battle with Apocalymon. You see, I had already been to the Digital World several times and met my partner, a red male Biyomon, during my first trip. He and I were best friends, until my parents became much more clingy. So, my trips came to a complete stop for a whole year." A tear slid down his cheek. "Then they started leaving for several days at a time on business trips. Then weeks, and eventually months. When they left for two weeks, I felt so abandoned. So, I grabbed my Digivice and went to the Digital World and met up with Biyomon." A shudder wracked through him. As he continued his story.

_Three years ago_

_The young boy walked along the shoreline of the ominous ocean. Tears ran down his cheeks as the red bird Digimon followed along in concern. __**"Why so sad?**__" asked a childish yet sinister voice._

_The young boy looked around. "Who's there? Where are you?" he asked. Looking around, he and his Digimon couldn't find anyone but themselves._

_"__**I'm down here,**__" came that voice again. Looking down, they saw Arius' shadow smiling at them with eyes and a mouth showing the blue sand. "__**I'm here to talk. What's troubling you?**__"_

_Not caring about what he saw, the boy sniffed. "My parents abandoned me, and I'm so sad."_

_"__**Really? Well, you must feel horrible about that.**__" The apparition got a nod while Biyomon hugged his friend. "__**Well I know what could help. Why not spread your sadness? Why should others be happy while you're so miserable?**__" The shadow's grin widened. "__**Hold out your Digivice. I will give you power to make this world feel your sadness.**__"_

_Not even thinking, the miserable boy felt himself being filled with loathing. The talking shadow was right. Holding out his blue Digivice, the shadow launched itself at the device and Digimon. The device changed its shape and color while Biyomon screamed as he changed. When the screams stopped, Noctomon stood there while a D-Terminal appeared in his hand with eight egg shapes on the screen. "__**You can forget your Crest of Harmony, these Dark Digi-eggs are all you need to bring destruction to this world!**__"_

Modern Day

Tai and the others were shocked at what Arius just divulged to them. "So, what happened after that shadow changed your Digivice and Biyomon?" asked Kari.

Arius sighed for what felt like the thousandth time. "I went on a rampage. Noctomon and I destroyed whole regions. During that time, I started becoming smarter. I started just knowing how the Digital World worked. Then it all changed when he and I fought a group of Digimon who tried to stop us." A new series of shudders swept through him.

"As the last one, a completely innocent Gotsumon, laid there I walked up to it with killing intent. I stared into its eyes and demanded to know why they fought me." Tears ran from his eyes. "He looked me and said, 'We were just trying to do your job since you're not doing it.' That really tore out what was left of my heart. We returned to that beach where I gained my powers and demanded an explanation. That dark being came back and said that everything I had done was what I signed up for." He took in a shaky breath. "I refused. I said I never wanted to hurt another innocent Digimon as long as I lived. I swore to use the power he gave me to protect the Digital World from dark beings like it. That's when this," he held up his crest, "started acting up. It called up another Digi-egg, the Digi-egg of Harmony. Using it, we left that place and set about fixing everything we had done. A couple years later, a new black Digivice showed up, and its owner is the Digimon Emperor. So, I've been fighting him for the past year."

The gathered Digidestineds stared at him. The shock of what he had been through shocking all of them. "So, all this time, the reclusive goth boy at school was like that because of what you've done?" asked Matt. "Is that why you stay away from us all the time?"

As Arius nodded, DemiDevimon snuggled into his partner's chest to comfort him. "I've met all of your partners at one point or another, and they've helped me through it all. You guys are THE Digidestined. I felt that if you knew what I'd done, you'd hate me because of everything that's happened."

"Well you can't assume that," said Sora as she wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah," said Tai. "It would be one thing if you were still like that, but you've changed."

Kari nodded. "You're Digidestined, Arius. That means you're one of us, no matter what you've done." She gave him a heartwarming smile. "You're a changed person. Now, you're on the side of justice, and fight the Emperor. The fact that you've been protecting the Digital World for so long shows how much you've changed."

The Child of Harmony was amazed at how the others were taking his story. "I... I don't believe it. You guys are the best. I just don't get it. How come you guys are taking this so easily?"

Matt patted the teen on his shoulder. "Because, we all know how tough it can be, but you actually brought yourself out of the Darkness. In our book, you've learned your lesson."

He smiled at the gathered Digidestined. "Thanks, you guys."

**Author's Note: Okay, so my fellow anime fans should recognize where I got the whole talking shadow bit from. Hint: "I don't know how to handle this!" So what did you think? I recently got back into Digimon and felt like writing this. I just hope you guys like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Arius sat in class waiting for the teacher to start class. As he sat there, he thought back to the previous night and how Tai and the others accepted him so easily. "Hey, Arius." Looking up, he saw Matt and Tai taking the usually empty seats on either side of him. "Mind if we sit here?" asked Matt.

He sighed. "Well, since you two are already sitting here, and your usual seats are occupied, I suppose you can sit here."

Tai smirked and patted Arius on the back. "Thanks man, we appreciate it."

Arius sighed. _There go my plans for a quiet first period._ As their History class progressed, Tai and Matt would occasionally make remarks about the historical figures and actually made the class enjoyable for Arius. The class really flew by for him. Saying bye to the Children of Friendship and Courage, he walked off towards his second year Algebra class. Taking his seat at the front of the room, he noticed Izzy taking the seat next to him.

"Hey Arius," said the red-head. "Sorry about the sudden seat change, but seeing as you and I are now acquaintances, I figured it would be beneficial for us to work together. Is there a problem with that?"

The Child of Harmony sighed. "As I told Matt and Tai, you're already here, so I have no problem with it." Opening up his backpack, he pulled out his notebook. He opened his notebook and looked at the ginger genius. "So, what did you get for homework?"

"I checked it over, and the work is fairly simple since the tangent equation has no amplitude and most of the 'b' values were one," said the Child of Knowledge.

Arius quickly found that he and Izzy got along really well intellectually. Izzy's crest and Arius' unnatural intelligence were natural compliments for one another. Like with Matt and Tai, Izzy helped make his class fly by.

The trend of a Digidestined sitting with him kept up. When he went to his P.E. class after his math class, Sora went out of her way to hang out with him, and then she and Izzy sat with him during Chemistry. When English rolled around, he and Matt were sitting right next to each other and they all sat in a group for lunch. "So Arius," said Tai. "Don't forget that we're going over to the middle school to show the two other new Digidestined the Digital World."

The black haired boy shook his head. "Sorry, Tai. I've got to pick up DemiDevimon from my apartment. I'll meet you guys there, though."

Izzy tilted his head in confusion. "Oh yeah, how come your Digimon is here in the real world?"

Arius shrugged. "I brought him with me one day, and he's been keeping me company when I'm here in the Real World. He remains in his in-training form the whole time, but never really seems bothered by staying here."

Izzy 'hmm'ed to himself at that. "That's alright," said Sora. "We'll all meet up in the Digital World and show the new team the ropes, okay?"

The raven haired Digidestined nodded. "Right." When the bell rang, he and Tai went to their art class while the other three went their own ways.

The two sat through a long lecture on color theory and applying it to their art work. It was a long class, but the two finally got out and split up while Arius rushed off to his home and grab his partner. When he got into the apartment, he tossed his bag on the couch while DemiDevimon flew into the room and landed on his head.

"Hey Arius, what's the hurry?" He looked down from his vantage point as his oldest friend got rid of his uniform jacket and tie.

Pulling out his Digivice and D-Terminal, he opened up the Digi-Port on the computer at the foot of his bed. "We, Demi, are going to meet up with Davis and the other Digidestined." With a final tap, the portal appeared on screen. Holding up his Digivice, the gate reacted. "Digi-Port: Open!" The gate lit up with a bright flash as the two were sucked into the Digital World.

Arius' clothes changed to his violet sweatshirt with black designs and his black boots and jeans, and DemiDevimon had turned back into Noctomon. Looking at his Digivice, Arius noticed how far they were from the others. Sharing a nod, Noctomon Armor-Digivolved into Falcomon and the two flew off in the direction of the dots. As they went along, Arius filled his partner in on the details behind why they were meeting the others.

Falcomon gave his partner a look as they flew. "So, we're going to see the others because the four at your school acted all friendly with you?"

Arius scratched his head sheepishly. "Uh... Yeah. That about sums it all up," chuckled the teen. He then got a little more serious. "I've been thinking about what the other Digidestined said last night. So, we're going to be trying to work with them," he explained. He took a look at his Digivice again and was shocked when Davis' dot vanished, only to reappear in another zone. "What?! One of them just teleported."

"Or," said the Armor Digimon of Hatred, "the Emperor's involved and is out to cause nothing but grief for the newbie."

"Right. In that case, we need to hurry up and rendezvous with the others. Head this way!" he practically ordered.

"Got it!" The two flew off in the direction of the remaining Digidestined. Going at Falcomon's extreme speeds, they made short work in getting to Arius' friends. Flying overhead, he only saw the two red heads, TK, Kari, as well as two new Digidestined. As he got closer and swooped over them, he was aware of the helmet wearing girl freaking out as he flew by. Swinging back around, he landed in front of them. The sinister looking bird flapping his wings as he landed. Biyomon looked up at him in awe as he turned back into Noctomon, Arius having already gotten off.

"Hey kids," he said as his demonic Digimon climbed on his back. "How goes it? Where's Davis, and who are the new kids?"

The violet haired girl stormed up to him, anger written all over her face. "I'm Yolei Inoue, and you've got a lot of nerve buster! Scaring me like that, seriously! What's your problem?"

The small boy ran up to her. "Yolei, calm down!" he pleaded. "I'm sure he wasn't trying to be malevolent. I'm sure he just happened to scare you." He looked at the older teen and bowed in politeness. "Hello," he said. "I'm Cody Hida. It's nice to meet you."

Arius smirked and pulled the kid into a hand shake. "Nice to meetcha, Cody." He turned to Yolei. "You need to calm down. You're over reacting to a simple fly-by, and really need to lighten up." He turned away from the fuming girl and walked over to his classmates. "Why are you guys still in your school uniforms?" he asked. "Don't your clothes change when you come here?"

Izzy shook his head. "Our clothes don't change, and I think it has to do with the younger Digidestined, but you're really throwing a curve ball into my theory,"he said scratching the back of his head.

Arius laughed at the boy's confusion. "That's me for you. Throwing all senses of logic into complete disarray. Even the Child of Harmony creates chaos wherever he goes." Sharing a laugh with the four veteran Digidestined, the boy went back to business. "So, what are you guys up to?"

Cody walked up to him and held out his white and yellow Digivice. "Davis was abducted by this Digimon Emperor guy, and we've been following our Digivices to these two weird dots."

Eyes widening, Arius pulled out his own Digivice and saw two familiar red dots on the screen. "Hey, I'd recognize those dots," he said. "Those are Digi-Eggs!"

Sora nodded. "That's why we're looking for them," she said.

Arius clapped his hands together and pulled out his own Digivice. "Well then, let's get going!"

The two newcomers took point again as Arius followed along behind, taking the time to chat with the older teens about their homework. Their discussion on trigonometry was cut short when the Digimon and middle school students found a temple up ahead.

The younger members leading the way again, they found two Digi-eggs: one yellow with a drill and the other silver with small wings. Izzy looked at the yellow one while Sora took a look at the silver one. "Hey, this one has the Crest of Knowledge," he said.

"And this one has the Crest of Love," said the ginger girl. Sharing a look, they both tried raising the Digi-eggs, but neither of them could lift the objects from their pedestals. "Why didn't it work?" asked Sora.

The black haired boy groaned. "Don't you guys remember? Having the power of a Crest isn't the same as being able to wield a Digi-egg." He then looked at Yolei and Cody. "Although, if Davis got a new Digivice and got Veemon's Digi-egg, maybe these two are the next to own those powers." His Digivice went off again. Looking at it, Davis' blue dot was back on screen. "Alright, Davis is back on the Radar, so I have to go see what's going on with that." Holding his Digivice tight, he and Noctomon ran out into the forest. One rosy flash later, he and Falcomon were flying off, with the group staring after the Armor Digimon.

The two followed the map and found themselves in a canyon. Looking down, the duo found their compatriots chained to the cliffs, as well as the Digimon Emperor himself. It wasn't the first time the duo had seen the Emperor, but Arius was always shocked at the resemblance between the Emperor and an old friend of his. He then saw Davis' Digivice in the Emperor's hands. Patting Falcomon's shoulder, the two dove down to try and swipe the devices. Unfortunately, the kid saw them coming and ducked as they flew overhead. Landing on the ground, Falcomon turned back into Noctomon as the two stared down the Emperor.

The evil human laughed arrogantly at them. "Well, if it isn't the meddlesome brat who has been interfering with my plans since I began the conquest of my Garden."

"I can't believe you!" shouted Arius at the younger boy. "Why can't you see that this place isn't a playground?!"

"Oh be quiet!" snarled the kid. "Tell me, I'm familiar with you working by yourself, yet here you are saving this child. Tell me, what does he mean to you?"

Arius glared at the boy "I'm saving him because he's Digidestined, like me." Arius' glare intensified as he stared daggers towards the owner of the second black Digivice. "Just like you."

"Please, don't make me laugh!" shouted the glasses wearing youth. "The two of you can't be Digidestined. Only perfect humans can be Digidestined. Ergo, I'm the only true Digidestined!"

Arius chuckled at the declaration. "Really? Then by your logic, you're the least likely candidate for the status of Digidestined. You see, perfect beings don't give in to the evils and false promises of Darkness! By your logic, I'M the true Digidestined!"

"Shut up!" demanded the purple haired boy. Snapping his fingers, a dark ring appeared and moved towards Veemon. "We'll see how much of a big shot you are when his Digimon is turned against the two of you and you need to fight him!"

Eyes wide, the duo ran to the cliff and saw the ring approaching the blue dragon, who was spouting all sorts of apologies for jokes and insults. Before they could do anything, they found themselves in free fall off the cliff when the spoiled brat shoved them off the cliff.

Falling, the two looked at each other and Arius smirked. "Well, you ready for a quick Digivolve?"

"What do you have in mind?" asked the demon.

"A little _digging _around." A violet light came off the device's screen. "Digi-Armor: Energize!"

"Noctomon, Armor Digivolve to: Burrowmon, the Sands of Ignorance!" The Emperor didn't see what happened to the Digimon due to the purple light and a cloud of dust when they reached the ground. Before he could surface, more Digimon appeared.

"Tempest Wing!" shouted Halsemon as he and Yolei flew in, destroying the Dark Ring. With Veemon, the wall behind him collapsed with Cody and Digmon grabbing him.

The Emperor trembled in rage. Then, he saw a trail of sand flying in a trail up the side of the mountain, like something was burrowing under it. The dust trail reached the top of the cliff and exploded when Arius and his Digimon surfaced.

Burrowmon looked like a large scorpion, only in place of claws and a stinger, he had drills, with his claws being split up drills. His body was mostly black, with a violet head and back plate. His legs were a set of tank treads, and its entire body made it look like a massive set of drills. On his head was a black version of the Crest of Knowledge.

Arius hopped off his partner's back and approached the Emperor. "Seriously kid," he said. "We don't need to fight. You're making a huge mistake by listening to your darkness. Trust me." He looked at the younger boy with pleading eyes.

"Feh! I don't need to listen to you! If anything, _you're_ the one on the wrong side! Black Digivices exist for one purpose: to insure the ruling the Digital World. You must be sorely mistaken if you continue to oppose me like this!"

As the Emperor laughed, Arius made his move and grabbed Davis' Digivice and D-Terminal. "Yolei, catch!" he called as he threw the devices to the airborne girl.

"Thanks!" she called as she helped Davis.

The Emperor snapped his fingers again, and three Digimon came to his call: a Snimon, a Drimogemon, and a Mojyamom. The three beasts charged Halsemon, Digmon, and the just transformed Flamedramon. Arius was a different story entirely.

He had Burrowmon as back up, but charged the Emperor with no weapons. The violet haired youth responded by jumping into the air and getting snatched up by an Airdramon. Growling, he could only watch as the successor to his darkness flew away.

The drill covered Digimon flashed yellow as he went back to his Rookie level. "Arius, are you alright?" he asked as the others freed the Emperor's servants.

He got a torn look. "Not really. He's been engulfed by his darkness, and we still don't know who's behind it all." He shook his head. "All I do know is that we're getting to work on finding who's behind the black Digivices. The newbies can handle _him._"

Noctomon gave him a shocked look. "Wait, you mean we're actually hunting down Fallen Digimon so you can solve a grudge issue?" He stared for a few moments before smiling. "Where has this side of you been all my life?" he asked.

Shaking his head, he moved his hand. "Come on," he said. "We're gonna need a plan as well as take advantage of that Spore in my neck." Walking away with his Digimon, he made sure to send an Email to the others about him not being able to help them for the next few days.

Once they got back to Arius' room, the Child of Harmony immediately got to work. Hands flying, he began scanning the Digital World to find traces of the Dark Digimon he was after. Knowing full well what was at stake, he made sure to take the Dark Spires into account. Soon enough, he had a legitimate plan set up.

Done, he pushed his computer back and laid back, DemiDevimon flying onto his chest and getting comfortable. "Well buddy," he said. "You'd better rest up. Tomorrow, we're starting the hunt for your siblings. Plus, you're gonna need your energy for when you go Champion like you did before the Spires popped up."

The bat looked at his oldest friend in amazement. "Really?" Getting a nod, his smile broadened. "Good. It's been too long since I've done that. Plus, we get to smash Control Spires!"

"That's right, bud." He stood up and carried his partner to the kitchen so he could make them dinner. "And since it's the weekend, we can get away with it." Getting out a pot, he started heating up some water. "Now how does pasta for dinner?"


End file.
